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Entrepreneurship might look like an unruly beast&comma; especially when larger corporations are involved&period; However&comma; those in the daily grind of entry-level positions are already developing the necessary skills to bring this wayward creature to heel&period;

“One of the first truths you’ll learn about entrepreneurship is that you’re 100 percent responsible for your success or failure&comma;” says fellow Entrepreneur columnist Mike Monroe&period;

Entry-level positions in many different areas -- including sales&comma; marketing&comma; development&comma; project management and customer service -- provide the perfect environment for future entrepreneurs to learn that truth and hone their skills&period;

Learning to fly from the ground up&period;

While the average entrepreneur is 40 years old&comma; younger people eager to make their own way have plenty of developmental opportunities that can help them hit the ground running&period; According to a 2017 survey from Heidrick & Struggles&comma; nearly 15 percent of CEOs at Fortune 500 companies started in the sales department&period; These high-powered executives didn’t waltz into the C-suite on day one&semi; they learned the tricks of the trade on the front lines with everyone else&period;

If you crave the life of an entrepreneur&comma; don’t let the barriers to entry get you down&period; Take one of the following entry-level jobs and use your time in the workforce to get the experience you need to launch your own business&period;

1&period; Sales

Inbound or outbound&comma; sales experience can give any would-be entrepreneur a leg up&period; Not only do you learn how to communicate effectively in a sales position&semi; you must also understand the products you sell &lpar;and the brand behind them&rpar;&period;

A job in sales will teach you to stop trying to convince people that they need what you have and start listening to what they want&period; Once you recognize that the market dictates what you sell&comma; and not the other way around&comma; you’ll be prepared to run a successful startup&period;

2&period; Human resources

HR pros keep businesses running&period; If you work as one&comma; you will quickly learn how much things like timely payment&comma; accurate sick-day counts and health insurance matter to workers&period; To keep your team happy&comma; you’ll need to know what employees consider to be important&period; What better way to learn that than to take a job where they let you know&quest;

Jobs in HR also provide crash courses in communication skills and legal compliance&period; For example&comma; it’s much better to learn that a manager can’t force an employee with folliculitis to shave his beard before the decision affects your pocketbook&period;

3&period; Customer service

It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in&colon; If you deal directly with customers&comma; you learn how to handle tasks quickly while keeping a friendly face&period;

Customers range from the kindest people you will ever meet to those who become enraged when they can’t double their coupons&period; As an entrepreneur&comma; you and your team will deal with all of them&period; Learn how to respond to customer complaints on someone else’s dime&comma; so that when it’s your turn to do so&comma; your learning experiences won’t have a negative impact on your bottom line&period;

4&period; Leadership

To be a truly successful entrepreneur&comma; you must learn how to lead a team&period; Leaders invariably learn some tough lessons at the helm&comma; but if you wait until you are running the whole operation&comma; those lessons could cost you some of your best workers&period;

This may seem like an odd suggestion for an article on entry-level positions&comma; but note that you don’t need to be in a leadership position to learn leadership skills&period; From your first day on a job&comma; your supervisors will be sizing up your initiative-taking ability and your critical-thinking and time-management skills to determine whether you have the capabilities necessary to take on more complicated projects&period; Look for opportunities to listen effectively and motivate those around you -- this will help you hone your leadership craft until you get the opportunity to take on the role for yourself&period;

These positions and skill sets provide invaluable lessons for entrepreneurs&comma; but they’re hardly the only ones&period; Reporters&comma; insurance adjusters&comma; accountants&comma; teachers and consultants -- these jobs and many others are full of learning opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs&period;

If you have to work for someone else before you found your own company&comma; don’t treat the opportunity with disdain&period; Learn everything you can on the job&comma; so that when your time comes you can use those lessons to lead your company to success&period;